Westerwelle visits Turkey, delivering cautious "no" to EU accession

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle gave a cautious warning Tuesday that Turkey was not ready to join the European Union, hours before meeting his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul.

"If the question had to be decided today, Turkey would not be able to join and the European Union would not be able to incorporate (Turkey)," Westerwelle told German daily Bild.

Nevertheless, he warned against generating the impression that the EU was not interested in its eastern neighbour, DPA reported.

"It is in our interest for Turkey to orientate itself towards Europe," Westerwelle said, adding that this was not only out of economic interests.

"The county can help us solve several conflicts - whether it be Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen or the Middle East," the minister stressed.

Westerwelle's trip to Turkey coincides with a visit by British premier David Cameron, who was expected to offer strong support for Turkey's long-standing EU membership bid.

Whilst not wanting to be upstaged by Britain, Westerwelle must also take care not to upset political relations back home, where his Bavarian coalition partner, the Christian Social Union, are strictly against Turkish EU membership.

In place of full membership, Chancellor Angela Merkel has advocated a "privileged partnership" for Turkey, a notion which Ankara has rejected.

Westerwelle and Davugtoglu are expected to discuss the Middle East conflict, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran during their talks on Tuesday evening.

The leaders disagree over their judgement of the Hamas movement, which controls the Gaza Strip, as well as on sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme.

Turkey, which had joined Brazil in negotiating with Teheran, does not plan to join ranks with the EU's increased sanctions against Iran.

On Wednesday, the German minister is to continue his journey to Ankara, where he plans to meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.